Blurring the Line

From her very first days at Gombe through the present time Jane Goodall has referred to the chimpanzees as she got to know them by names - not, as was scientific practice in the early sixties, by numbers. Her first manuscript presented for publication in a scientific journal was returned with editorial comments. In each case in which Jane had written "he," "she" or "who" in reference to a chimpanzee, "it" or "which" had been substituted. She was furious, and crossed out every "it" and "which." That was Jane's first battle with established science - and she won.
Jane also shocked ethologists (scientists who study animal behavior) by describing the chimpanzees' personalities, by talking about their ability to reason and, worst of all, by describing their emotions. All of this was considered anthropomorphic and unacceptable. But Jane had not attended university at that time, so she knew none of the established rules. Indeed, Jane's whole study had, from the start, emphasized the importance of individuality, stressed the differences between individuals, and the contributions each may uniquely make. And the study has also served to blur the line, once thought so sharp, between humans on the one hand and the rest of the animal kingdom on the other.

This study, backed by many others both in the field and in captive situations, provides compelling evidence for personality differences, rational thought and problem solving abilities, mental powers of abstraction and generalization, concept of self, ability to understand the moods and needs of others, and empathy. We are convinced, also, that chimpanzees know emotions similar to joy and sorrow, fear and despair, and that they can experience mental as well as physical suffering. We think of them with a new respect. And this leads to a new respect for other amazing animal beings with whom we share the planet.

References
Among the Wild Chimpanzees. Jane Goodall. Videocassette. National Geographic Society, 1984.

Goodall, Jane. The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behavior. Boston: Bellknap Press of the Harvard University Press, 1990.

Goodall, Jane. Through a Window. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1990.